Straight To Ale Bourbon Barrel Aged Laika

Straight To Ale Bourbon Barrel Aged Laika is a Russian Imperial Stout… aged in bourbon bottles. No ABV or bottle date on the bottle, but with a little research I find the base beer is 9.7% ABV.

The beer pours with a dense and oily black color and a solid tan head. Huge bourbon barrel character is the dominating element of the aroma, underneath there is a little chocolate and dark fruit as well as some oak from the barrel itself. Surprisingly the bourbon is not a huge part of the flavor at all, in fact it is rather mild in general. The beer itself is quite tasty even without all the wonderful bourbon that is on the nose. Big bakers chocolate, some sweet dark cherries and a unique rich caramel flavor come through on the taste. As the beer warms the oak barrel and some stronger alcohol flavors come out in the taste as well.

This might not make it it to the elite upper tier of BA Stouts, but it is really damn close. More than well worth the effort to enjoy, pick a bottle or two if you can!

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Keith is the Cellarman at Service Brewing Co. in Savannah, GA. When he isn't helping produce the best beer brewed in Savannah, he is your average beer geek. Most of his free time is spent thinking about, talking about, trading for, drinking and reviewing beer.